1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display device provided in a driver's room of a vehicle such as a construction machine to display the conditions of respective parts of the vehicle and an abnormality such as a failure generated in the vehicle and more particularly to a display controller for the display device for controlling the contents of the display of the display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a display device for displaying the state of a construction machine such as cooling water and an abnormality such as a failure including the deterioration of oil pressure of an engine is provided in the driver's room of the construction machine. This display device is called a monitor panel.
The display screens of a conventional monitor panel are illustrated in FIGS. 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c).
FIGS. 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c) shows monitor screens 11, 12 and 13 for monitoring and displaying the operating states of a construction machine.
On the monitor panel, prescribed positions of the displayed screens 11, 12 and 13 are touched so that the states of the display screens can be shifted to other states.
Specifically, when an engine key is switched on to turn on a power, the display screen of the monitor panel is shifted to a monitor display screen shown in FIG. 1(a) via an initial screen.
The states of respective parts such as the amount of remaining fuel of an engine of the construction machine, the temperature of hydraulic oil of a working machine, the temperature of coolant of the engine, the oil pressure of the engine, etc. are detected by sensors provided in the respective parts of the construction machine. A signal detected by each sensor is inputted to the monitor panel. Then, on the monitor panel, the current state of the construction machine is displayed on the monitor display screen on the basis of the signals detected by the sensors.
As shown in FIG. 1(a), on the monitor display screen 11 are provided a display part 11a for displaying the amount of currently remaining fuel, a display part 11b for displaying the current temperature of the hydraulic oil of the working machine, a display part 11c for displaying the current temperature of the coolant of the engine, a display part 11d for displaying the current oil pressure of the engine, etc. An operator visually recognizes the display parts 11a to 11d of the monitor display screen 11 so that the operator can recognize the conditions of the respective parts of the construction machine.
When a button 11e on the monitor display screen 11 is operated, the monitor display screen 11 is shifted to a next monitor display screen 12 shown in FIG. 1(b). Further, when a button 12e on the monitor display screen 12 is operated, the monitor display screen 12 is shifted to a next monitor display screen 13 shown in FIG. 1(c). Further, when a button 13e on the monitor display screen 13 is operated, the monitor display screen 13 is returned to the first monitor screen 11 shown in FIG. 1(a). If the same operations are carried out after that, the same transitions will be repeated. As described above, the monitor display screens are sequentially and cyclically shifted from 11 and 12 to 13, so that all the states of the construction machine can be recognized.
When the detected value of each sensor provided in each part of the construction machine reaches an abnormal value, an error code corresponding to the abnormality is generated in a controller in the vehicle and the display screen of the monitor panel is automatically shifted to a trouble display screen for displaying a trouble such as a failure from the monitor display screen shown in FIGS. 1(a), 1(b) and 1(c).
For instance, when a trouble or problem such as a failure is generated in a pump controller during the display of the monitor display screen 11 shown in FIG. 1(a) on the monitor panel, the monitor display screen 11 is shifted to a trouble display screen 21 shown in FIG. 2(a). In the trouble display screen 21, a trouble showing the contents of “Problem pump controller” is displayed. The operator visually recognizes the trouble display of the trouble display screen 21 so that the operator can recognize the trouble generated in the construction machine.
The monitor display screen 11 shown in FIG. 1(a) and the trouble display screen 21 shown in FIG. 2(a) are alternately displayed at prescribed intervals, for example, at intervals of 5 seconds. Thus, while the operator recognizes the contents of the trouble generated in the construction machine, he can continuously perform the operation of the construction machine.
In the construction machine, a plurality of problems or troubles may be possibly generated at the same time. For instance, three kinds of troubles may be generated. If three kinds of troubles (called them a first trouble, a second trouble and a third trouble, hereinafter) are generated while the monitor display screen 11 shown in FIG. 1(a) is displayed on the monitor panel, the monitor display screen 11, the first trouble display screen 21 on which the first trouble is displayed, a second trouble display screen 22 on which the second trouble is displayed and a third trouble display screen 23 on which the third trouble is displayed will be cyclically displayed as shown in FIG. 4. In other words, the monitor display screen 11, the first trouble display screen 21, the second trouble display screen 22 and the third trouble display screen 23 are displayed at intervals of, for instance, 5 seconds.
As described above, when a trouble is generated in the construction machine, the monitor display screen 11 and the trouble display screen 21 are alternately displayed, or the monitor display screen 11 and the trouble display screens 21, 22 and 23 are cyclically displayed. Therefore, the operator needs to recognize the contents of the display of the trouble display screen 21 in a short time (for instance, 5 seconds). Accordingly, the operator cannot sufficiently recognize the contents of the display of the trouble display screen 21.
Further, the operator may, sometimes, have a desire to completely recognize not the trouble display screen 11, but the monitor display screen 11. Still further, the operator may have a desire to sufficiently recognize not the display screen which is currently displayed, but a display screen which will be displayed or the display screen which has been already displayed.
Still further, even when a trouble is generated, the operator of the construction machine needs to continuously operate and manipulate the construction machine by paying his attention to the trouble.
However, since the monitor screen 11 and the trouble display screen 21 are alternately displayed, or the monitor display screen 11, and the trouble display screens 21, 22 and 23 are cyclically displayed, the operator can, undesirably, continuously and visually recognize the contents of the display of the monitor display screen 11 only for a short time (for instance, 5 seconds). Further, when a plurality of trouble display screens are displayed, the monitor display screen 11 cannot be visually recognized for a long time when the trouble display screens 21, 22 and 23 are displayed. Therefore, the state of the construction machine cannot be completely grasped so that there exists a fear that a trouble may arise in operating and manipulating the construction machine.
Further, when the plural monitor display screens are sequentially displayed, the operator may have, sometimes a desire to return the display screen to a specific monitor display screen to completely recognize the operating state of the vehicle which he specially wants to know.
Still further, the operator may have, sometimes, a desire to return the display screen not to the monitor display screen, but to the trouble display screen so as to completely recognize the contents of the trouble of the vehicle.